Breath of the Sea
by Sulfur Dusk
Summary: AU - The most interesting things happen in small towns. [ Soul x Maka ]


**Breath of the Sea**

* * *

 **Full Summary:** _AU –The most interesting things happen in small towns. Welcome to Echo Bluff—a forgettable, tiny coastal settlement where even the paths of antisocial bookworms and shark-toothed legends get inevitably crossed._

 **A/N:** _AH. I can't stop. So many plot bunnies. Oh my word. Help me stop guys. HELP ME STOP. Unless you don't want to. Because I don't want to. Because I'm having so much fun writing again after taking a long break with school and classes and tennis and oh my goodness it's a lovely relief. Summer is nice, work is nice, but this is also lovely, and these ideas are fresh to me, and I love writing in new archives. Even though the Soul Eater archive seems kinda dead from what I've seen, there's so many gems, so many lovely entries into the writing world of fanfiction, and this… is going to be so much fun. You ready for this? I hope you are._

 _So, yeah, this story has a small town as mentioned, an AU plotline, and a somewhat-supernatural setting with a lot more thrown into it. It's a melting pot of fun. Like the sound of that? Continue then. Hehe. Got lots of drama prepared, and most of the chapters are going to be this length… think it suits the style pretty well._

 _Please enjoy the newest installment! I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it._

* * *

 **Chapter One**

The Boy by the Shore

* * *

There was something special about this place.

Maybe it was the charming way the bookshelves stacked against rusted sandstone walls. Maybe it was the refreshing arrangement of spices that adorned the perched desk by the counter, with nothing else to decorate it other than a barely workable microwave. Maybe it was the delightful chatter of customers, young and old, cynical and kind, intelligent and simpleminded, distracted and focused, those who were in love and those who were not. Maybe it was related to the way the salty taste of the ocean swallowed the air whenever someone opened the mahogany, glass-framed door.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was because it was the quietest spot in Echo Bluff.

Well-known as one of the smallest settlements on the west coast, it wasn't an _unpopular_ tourist attraction, per say, but those who lived there treasured their time accordingly because they just loved living there, as opposed to newcomers who didn't know what to make of their experience.

There were plenty of things to enjoy about Echo Bluff, whether strangers who visited believed it or not. Tourists would complain about the most ludicrous of "situations": the ocean sometimes lost its charm, the sand would occasionally get swamped in clumps of seaweed and dead jellyfish, and even the crankiness of the small population of citizens would grind on certain nerves.

Maka tried her best whenever she could to not be as cynical as others. She always came to this charming store, where only the greatest of novels and tastiest of Stumptown coffee were ripe and in full selection. The quaint shop overlooked the beach from a perfect angle on a small cliff, where Maka found herself relishing the sight of the wide, open sea and the occasional sunlight.

She usually came here alone, to enjoy the quiet atmosphere, the smell of fresh blueberry scones and enjoying the fictional worlds she always explored through hardcover books. She was mostly well known for that, though: keeping to herself and letting her actions speak for her. Even at school, where she was expected to act as such, and while she gradually took vigorous notes in the back of the classroom, she would do her best to ignore the judgmental looks cast in her direction.

But that didn't stop her from being vocal every once in a while; if a disgusting man were bothering an innocent girl (or the other way around, since it was unfortunately common in the detrimental halls of Shibusen High School), she would do her best to help. Her silence was only a small fragment of her personality; her aggression was no secret, and this made her a bit of an anomaly to fellow students. Most of them just didn't know how to handle her.

Well, except for a few.

"You seem like you're enjoying yourself." Maka blinked out of her daydreaming, staring up at her best—and only, really—friend in Echo Bluff, Tsubaki Hanson. At eighteen years old, she was two years Maka's senior, and was anxious to start her adventures across the sea and to get herself away from Echo Bluff as quickly as possible. Or at least, that used to be her ambition.

Tsubaki herself was a beautiful woman that Maka admired in nearly every way. She was tall and curvaceous, draped in only the finest, loveliest of clothes that her generous parents could afford for her, and her hair was long and shone like the wings of a raven. Her eyes were cobalt and as tantalizing as crystal. It was no wonder she was so popular at Shibusen.

It was an even bigger wonder as to why she talked to Maka for the first time in this exact same shop just over a year ago, where their bond quickly grew and eventually blossomed into an unbreakable friendship. Tsubaki was extraordinarily protective of Maka, and she was fine with that; if anyone tried hurting Tsubaki, she would do whatever she could to knock sense into the bastards.

"I was," Maka answered, shrugging simply. She closed her book, thinking back over the last few chapters she'd just read for school and trying to keep her focus straightened out, especially since mathematics really weren't in her best interest. "It's just nice to cool off after school."

Tsubaki smiled fondly. "Let's be honest, Maka. You always come here after school." She chuckled. "But I must say, I'm a little surprised that you haven't even gone out with your camera yet. The Midwinter Festival is coming soon and I thought you'd be all over that…"

Maka blinked suddenly. "Oh. Right."

She worked for the _Shibusen Shield_ , the school newspaper, and she was always responsible for photographs and writing her own articles for each publication. Small towns like Echo Bluff really liked newspaper articles, even ones focusing on normally uninteresting events, featuring headlines akin to: "MS. FALDER'S CAT, _CHIPPER WHISKERS_ , STUCK ON TREE BEFORE DRAMATIC FIREMAN RESCUE" and "BLUFF'S BAKERY OUT OF FRESH PASTRIES FOR BIRTHDAY PARTY".

It wasn't too exciting at times, but Maka liked writing editorials for the paper regardless, even when she was only one of five staff members… and the only girl. It turned annoying when her reluctant boss, Ox Ford, gave his unruly opinion on her articles because they never reached up to his level…

 _Never up to his level my ass…_ Maka thought begrudgingly. "Yeah, I don't know, I haven't really thought about school that much, including the newspaper." She watched the ocean, the gentleness of the waves rolling onto clean white sand striking her with inspiration. She wanted to take pictures today, for sure. "I wonder if the big waves are going to hit soon."

Tsubaki blinked in concern. "Maka, you know how badly it can flood here…" She trailed off, not needing to explain more. Echo Bluff had had it's fair share of tragedies with small children wandering too close to the shoreline when the waves were too high, and tsunamis had occurred before as well, but the last one happened twenty years before Maka was even born.

"I can take my chances." Maka winked. "You know me, Tsu. I can run fast."

Tsubaki blanched. "Your confidence both impresses and worries me, Maka…" She giggled, tucking a singular strand of hair behind her ear. "Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about something. About someone in your newspaper club."

Maka blinked owlishly. "It's more of an actual team but… club works." She grinned suspiciously. "What about it?"

Tsubaki's fingers twiddled together nervously, a heated blush staining her ivory cheeks. She seemed so hesitant, so nervous all of a sudden, and it struck her blonde friend with curiosity.

"I…" She swallowed, smiling graciously. "There's a guy, who works for the school newspaper. He's loud and rambunctious and I'm a bit surprised that he's working for your team, actually, but we've been talking and… I was wondering what you're opinion would be if I started dating Black Star."

Maka slowly grasped the ceramic mug to her right, taking a small sip of what was left of her coffee—it'd gone cold since she started reading. "Black Star…" She almost burst into laughter out of total shock and surprise. "Yeah, well…" She shook her head in bewilderment. Tsubaki made her wonder sometimes.

Black Star was one of the most hyperactive, arrogant, supremely out-of-the-box people that Maka had met at Shibusen High School when she was a freshman. As an incoming junior, she'd still hadn't grown used to his surprising adoration for good stories and his _equally_ surprising interest in entertainment writing… noted, he couldn't write even with her wrists tied to his and letting her do it _for_ him, but his ideas were popular and the student body loved him. So, naturally, he was kept on the team, despite the worst grammar Maka had ever seen put onto paper.

Editing his works was like riding a bike... with her hands tied behind her back... through a sand dune... in the middle of a hailstorm.

"I never would've thought you'd be interested in _Black Star_ of all people." It was simultaneously amusing and somewhat terrifying. Was Tsubaki drugged? Did someone threaten her to say these outlandish things? Or maybe, just maybe, her friend actually was interested in the bombastic, blue-haired, "holier-than-thou" spastic ball of self-proclaimed godliness.

No, really, he considered himself "one with the gods".

"He's really, really nice, and so sweet, and I inspire him to work hard. At least, according to him. I've actually seen him study for finals!" Tsubaki seemed so incredibly happy at the thought that she _glowed_. Needless to say, Maka wasn't really expecting this, and not just because of Tsubaki's somehow not drug-induced affection for Black Star.

But she felt utterly alone with her opinion of the male species.

Maka had never felt trustful of men. Her father, Spirit Albarn, the Chief of Police in Echo Bluff, was once married to her mother, who left them both when Maka was only five. As much as she loathed her mother, her father didn't make the situation any better with his constant womanizing and abandoning his job for half-naked girls at strip clubs. It never helped with his excuses of ignoring work, and it was amazing that he wasn't required to turn in his badge, even with his clear drinking problem; Maka had found enough empty flasks to prove the theory herself.

Indeed, Spirit Albarn's daughter knew more about his personal life and his everyday objectives than he did himself, and Maka wondered if that would ever change.

She tried so hard not to be biased, but it was more than difficult not to with those experiences flashing through her mind each and every day.

"He'd be an idiot not to ask you out," Maka finally said, breaking Tsubaki's own daydreaming (most likely centered around her newspaper coworker). She flashed Tsubaki a reassuring smile. "Seriously. He'd be insane, and I'd have to kill him solely because of his stupidity, if he didn't even consider the possibility."

Tsubaki dipped her head. "I hope he will. I haven't felt like this in such a long time…" she trailed off, and for a few minutes, both girls were mesmerized by the tender silence of the coffee shop/bookstore hybrid, watching the ocean and letting their troubles slowly sink into an abyss that neither of them wanted to reach for.

Hours later, by the time the clouds had rolled to reveal stars waxing the sky, Maka had returned a quiet house. The television was on, the stainless steel pot on the stove looked unwashed, and when she checked, her suspicions were confirmed once she saw that the soup broth had turned cold and sludge-like. Her nose wrinkled at the bitter smell. Her father never should have tried taking cooking classes, especially when he sometimes showed up drunk to each one.

She set down her book bag, searched the cupboards on top of the refrigerator for cleaning supplies, and immediately set to work. She did this almost every day, especially when her father was out and about, as she vigorously dropped to her knees and scrubbed as hard as she could, like her very life depended on it. The soap bubbles spread across the tiled floor with ease, and the mopping was honestly her favorite part, albeit the most tedious. She washed the dishes, dusted the counters, took out the trash, and by the end of it all she realized it only took forty-five minutes.

She grumbled bitterly. _New record, Papa. You still have yet to even try._

She removed the rubber gloves on her hands, thinking about what she would have to focus on for school. She really should have paid more attention in the conference meeting she had with Ox and Black Star and the others… Tsubaki mentioned the upcoming festival, and she should really get to work on that.

Why was inspiration sometimes so hard to find? Unless she was alone, she couldn't think of any reason to work. Inside her house, it felt like drinking in air strained with poison and the life of Chief Albarn, her own Papa, who didn't deserve his job.

 _Why did Mama have to leave?_ Maka scowled, staring angrily into the living room carpet, burning holes into the surface without even trying. She wanted to yell at the skies, at whatever god existed up there that allowed her mother to leave them so bitterly, so remorselessly… the woman sent her greeting cards from neighboring countries every year on holidays, as if that was a _good thing_ to do when someone abandoned her child.

As much as Maka found herself disappointed in her father, at least he never left her side like his ex-wife did. She wondered, if she remained by their side during her childhood, would anything have been different? Would she have turned out to despise men as much as she did now? Would her father still have this outrageous drinking problem that would eventually cost him his badge?

 _Probably not_ , the blonde thought begrudgingly.

Two hours passed, with the teenager sitting calmly at her desk in her tiny, extremely clean yet cramped bedroom. Her books were splayed out around her sagging eyelids and tired, strained arms. Her woolen sweater smelled like the salt from the ocean, probably because she'd left her window open. It was a comforting sensation, despite the silence in her house and the constant wondering of where her father was.

She blinked sleep from her eyes, sitting up straight and staring at the flapping blinds covering her window. She could hear the rushing winds, growing faster and faster with each speedy current as the weather grew harsher in the later hours. It was probably past midnight at this point… she didn't know how long she'd been passed out on her own desk.

She flinched from the harsh sounds of the blinds grating against the wall, chipping off paint. She heard the beginnings of a torrential downpour, an occurrence that was more or less common in Echo Bluff. The morning would greet her with sopping wet puddles on the sidewalks and sand slushing underneath her tennis shoes.

Her cell phone buzzed, a blue fluorescent light blasting the darkness. Maka groaned, grabbing the device and flipping it open, seeing that she had several missed calls from her father… that alone was surprising, since he hardly ever contacted her when he was out. She noticed several texts from Tsubaki as well, each one reminiscing something along the lines of: _"Did you make it home okay?"_ and " _Please tell me that you didn't get caught up in this storm…"_

Maka closed her phone and shoved it into her drawer. She didn't want to look at it anymore; honestly, all she wanted to do was sleep and forget her problems. She wanted to stop thinking about her Papa being out so late, about her having to get up gruelingly early for school tomorrow morning, and especially about her duties as a reporter and photographer for the school newspaper…

 _Listen to yourself_ , she mentally whispered, harsh and aggressive. _You're pathetic. There are children starving on the streets… at least you have a roof over your head. What right do you have to complain?_ She sighed, crossing her arms stubbornly. She berated herself a lot more than she usually deemed necessary, but with her crankiness piling up, it was bound to happen.

Her train of thought snapped in two when the most unexpected noise echoed through her house. She swiveled in her chair in disbelief, refusing to consider the possibility of what she heard was true…

But there it was: a tiny, soaked-to-the-bone _cat_ , casually mewling and licking its front paws as if the weather outside wasn't brimming with enough power to break this animal's spine with ease. Its golden eyes flashed with unusual happiness and intelligence for a feline, and Maka recoiled with uncertainty at what to do. It was clearly a stray… but how did it even get into her house?

"Great…" Maka shook her head, smiling in bemusement. "Well, Papa, a stray cat got home before you did. There's your competition." The cat's tail swished back and forth, tilting its head as if listening to the words she was saying. "Alright, I guess I can't just leave you there. You seem friendly." She stood up, walking over to the cat and squatting on her ankles. She smiled, holding out her hand and allowing the admittedly adorable creature to sniff. "Where did you come from?" she whispered to herself, pondering. She didn't know anyone who owned any cats in Echo Bluff…

The cat mewed in delight, gradually letting Maka scratch the area between her ears.

"Weird." Maka shrugged, standing back up and sighing heavily. "Well, cat, it looks like I'm going to be keeping you until tomorrow at least." The cat looked just as pleased as before, despite the wetness of its silky black fur. Maka scooped the animal into her arms, smiling fondly. "I'll see if I have anything to feed you."

* * *

 **3:41 A.M.**

* * *

Spirit slowly twisted the keys in the lock of his house, shoving the door open and ignoring the heavy rain slamming against his back like a medieval stake. He kicked off his shoes, slipping out of his jacket and tossing the golden badge pinned to his left breast pocket onto the counter. His fingers ran slowly through the tresses of scarlet locks that framed an angular, middle-aged face, worn to the bone with exhaustion, stress, and the combined burdens of alcoholism and being the formerly respected Chief of Police in Echo Bluff.

He'd _really_ fucked up this time.

He sauntered into the kitchen, smelling of wet socks, booze and a faint trace of the perfume of the women he had casually screwed around with after work. His patrolling hours were tight, and he'd planned to pick up Maka from school instead of letting her walk across town to only God knew where, and it was usually his fault.

As he'd expected, and with his stomach twisting in guilt, the floors were spotless, the dishes were washed, the cupboards were clean, the counters dusted, and his role as a father totally blank like the neatly folded cloth draped over the sink. He thought about his daughter, about how much time and effort she put into keeping the house in order while he was out at work… but the constant desire to stop, to quit meandering like a lustful fool after doing his _job_ made him look less and less credible by the day.

It wasn't like his work was easy, either. His partner, medical officer and detective Franken Stein, was more or less pleased whenever Spirit chose to deviate from the route to his house after work, and waste what little sanity he had left in the warming, temporary embrace of a prostitute. They would smoke in the alleys, waiting for calls to be reached, waiting for something interesting to happen in Echo Bluff, and with the division of officers into other territories recently, Spirit often wondered if his job mattered anymore.

Was it too greedy to want something horrible to happen in this town? It would surely propel his spotlight back onto the map. Shit, his daughter was a genius writer… he'd seen her pieces in her school newspaper. She was brilliant, taking directly after her mama, his ex-wife.

The woman who left them was still someone he loved miserably to this day.

And Maka, the only other girl he truly loved in some way in his life, hated him just as much as she resented her mother.

Trying to remain as quiet as possible, Spirit strolled into the hallways, passing the cramped spaces that were poor excuses for _rooms_ until he arrived at his daughter's. He noticed with a sigh of relief that the door was creaked open, allowing him to peek inside and see his daughter curled up on her bed, books scattered around her like dead flies, and a small cat curled at her feet. He blinked at the presence of the animal, but if he moved inside to get the furry beast to leave his house, it would never move, and he would wake up his precious daughter.

 _Tolerate it for tonight. It's your fault she's alone all the time._ His conscience really bit him in the ass, and he deserved every moment of it.

* * *

 **8:54 A.M.**

* * *

William Shakespeare's _Hamlet_ lay with a poor broken spine at the corner of her desk. Maka surveyed the classroom cautiously—none of the other students looked remotely interested in the topic concerned, and for once she didn't blame them—her fingers toying with a mechanical pencil, thinking about the previous night, her Papa coming in past three o'clock, and the weird cat...

She let the creature go right before walking to school. She'd spoiled the animal without complaint, and watched in satisfaction as it bounded towards the alley with a plumper stomach and cleaner fur.

Feeling more disgruntled and frustrated with her father, Maka insisted that she didn't need his help to drive her to school, since it was only three blocks down the street. She passed small business that, in her opinion, made the first-impression look of Echo Bluff look more welcoming. She made sure to greet the flower sellers, the antique store manager, the insane old woman who kept losing her cats (Maka asked her if she was missing one of her precious felines, but the crone declined with a tentative smile).

Every so often she would stare outside, admiring the fresh robe of fog that draped over Echo Bluff's marketplace and row upon row of houses, making everything look just a little cleaner. If she were on the beach, she would be able to bring out her binoculars and camera and take dazzling, hypnotizing photographs when and wherever she pleased.

She would have to ask Ox if he wanted a creative issue in this month's newspaper. But in all honesty, she was most likely going to do it anyway. She snapped back to Ms. Marie Mjolnir in the front of the room, who was chanting excitedly—and yet, somehow not-so-excitedly—about the upcoming celebrations and festivals to be held in Echo Bluff. Since the Shakespearian one had already passed, Maka wondered why this was even relevant in Honors English Studies.

 _At least she tries_ , Maka thought, smiling.

The bell rang, and Maka was the first to stand up, carefully gathering her books. She stopped when she noticed Marie's slender, jewel-encrusted fingers lightly tap her desk. She glanced up, grinning awkwardly. "Um, hi, Ms. Mjolnir. I was just going to head to my next class…"

The curvy blonde woman shook her head, smiling graciously. "I actually wanted to ask you something before you left, sweet Maka." She always meant well, but her nicknames for the students were… unintentionally strange. "Is it alright if I ask you to do me a favor? I know that you're so busy with the school paper—which is wonderful, I might add—but a couple minutes of your time would be most appreciated."

Maka blinked. "Um… sure, of course." She shrugged, grinning. "I have nothing planned out for the rest of the day, really." _Except the paper, but I can talk to Ox about that if this is really important_. "What did you need?"

Ms. Mjolnir sighed, suddenly looking forlorn. "Well, there's a student here, at Shibusen High, that's been struggling to really pass any of his writing classes… or any of them, actually." She chuckled absentmindedly. " _But_ , after talking things over with the staff, we've made a collective decision to have you tutor this young man. It should be fun, right?"

 _Wrong_.

Maka's eyebrow twitched. "Um, Professor, is that really necessary—"

"Of course it is!" Marie grasped Maka's shoulders, desperation flickering in her usually maternal gaze. "This kid is a nice boy, I think. He never comes to class though, or even to school, but we have his address, and we were hoping that through tutoring him, you could maybe convince him to come back? Echo Bluff is already small as it is, so it shouldn't be too drastically hard to find him, right?" She was starting to tremble… clearly, Maka was her last, and deciding, option.

The Albarn girl chewed on her bottom lip, grumbling in annoyance. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and wondering how things could be changing so quickly. She wondered if Ox was going to pile-drive her with an assignment with _Black Star_ , considering how _great_ her morning was turning out to be. She didn't even like teaching herself most of the time, it was just out of habit.

But she liked English, and it was just _one_ guy. It wouldn't be so bad.

"… Alright." Maka sighed, putting on her weakest smile. "I can do that for you." Her teacher squealed in delight, grasping Maka and nearly crushing her spine in a bear hug.

"Oh thank you Maka! You have no idea what a relief this puts on the school board! I'll be sure to let Principal Shinigami know exactly what you've just told me. He'll be very pleased. My goodness, we almost had his son make a personal trip to that delinquent's house, just to convince him to come to school." Marie shook her head, her shoulders shaking with relieving laughter. "It's good to have students like you to represent Shibusen, Maka."

Maka hesitated, scratching the back of her head unsurely. "Yeah… it's no problem, really."

"Well," Marie cut in, appearing far more relaxed now. "I'll let you be on your merry way. Try not to get into any trouble dearie!"

She vanished in a trail of smoke. Maka watched her leave, fixated on the promises she'd just made, and how she definitely needed a better excuse to avoid duties for the newspaper…

Ox Ford was going to grind her to the bone.

* * *

 **12:10 P.M.**

* * *

"You did _what_?" Tsubaki spluttered, surprise gracing her gentle cobalt eyes. "I can't believe you actually agreed to something that a teacher asked of you. I could've sworn you promised not to be the teacher's pet since fifth grade, right? At least, going off of what you've told me."

She was clearly joking, but Maka didn't deny the slight hypocrisy she felt whenever she walked into classes now. She wondered if Marie had already informed the rest of the school staff about her "inside job" concerning some delinquent student that she didn't even get the name of…

"She gave me his address," Maka added, pulling out a square piece of paper. With that, she stabbed a plastic fork into a slimy substance that she guessed was supposed to resemble pasta. She groaned. _I need to start making my own lunches again…_

"What do you think Ox will say about this?" Tsubaki inquired. She propped her elbows up on the table, temporarily ignoring the bento box of rice balls and cubed chicken she'd brought with her. "He wants you to cover so many stories right now. I swear, it's amazing how you can just say 'yes' whenever he asks for a favor."

Maka popped a piece of cauliflower in her mouth, chewing contently. "He can't control my _every_ move. I do like reporting and writing, you know." She thought about the festival and the expectations that came with it; covering the events in Echo Bluff was one of the most popular subjects right now. "She also said something about the school board paying me eventually, but it's not like I have a lot to do outside of working for the paper."

Tsubaki softened. "Well, you're the hardest worker I know, Maka Albarn. Whatever the situation brings, it will surely grant you success." She seemed to have peeled those words directly off of one of Ms. Mjolnir's classroom posters.

Maka fingered the piece of paper Ms. Mjolnir left on her desk before she sprinted out of the classroom like a madwoman, peering carefully over the information. "It's so weird that she didn't even tell me his name. She probably forgot though."

"MAKA."

The Albarn froze, blanching in total shock as the most energetic person in the universe jumped up from _absolutely nowhere_ , landing strategically on the crowd-less lunch table between the two women. He was muscular, athletically driven, and sported the familiar mop of gelled aqua-blue spikes of hair that so many girls adored for who knew what reason. He was wearing the standard school uniform of a long-sleeved white shirt (excluding the _required black tie_ ) and black jeans and sneakers that were far too old or worn to even come across as decent articles of clothing.

It was Black Star. He waved his arms like a lunatic, and Maka couldn't help comparing him to a frantic baboon. " _Maka_. _MAKA_. Maka!"

The pigtailed girl sighed, slowly putting down her fork. "Hi, Black Star…" she shoved her face into her hands in embarrassment at the confused stares cast in her direction. "You really don't have to shout my name to the heavens _on repeat_ whenever you want to get my attention…"

He was _standing_ on top of the table for crying out loud…

"But _MAKA_ , Ox has been trying to get you to come to our meetings after school for pretty much forever!" He shook his head, placing his hands on his hips and turning his wild-eyed attention to the cafeteria ceiling. "I swear by the grace of this writing club, that only the greatest stories will come out of my godly fingertips! Fear me, typewriters!"

Maka sighed, but couldn't help the grin of amusement that captured her lips. She glanced across at Tsubaki, who, for the first time in a while, had blood rushing to her cheeks, and she looked _petrified_.

"Also, Black Star, it's not a writing club. It's the school newspaper branch. And we don't even use typewriters."

She almost laughed at one of the more recent memories of watching Ox Ford desperately trying to remove the ten to twelve _ancient_ typewriters that Black Star brought to their February board meeting. Black Star tried his best to argue for the sake of the barely functional machines, and Maka really did love typewriters—but they had no place on school grounds, especially since he'd _borrowed_ them from the antique store down the street.

He dropped to a squat, still perched on the table like a reckless animal, and he gave her a blank look. "What am I supposed to tell Ox then? You can't just _not go_. You're like, the spleen of the paper!"

"I know but—wait, what?"

Tsubaki quickly broke into the conversation, sparing her friend and quickly grabbing the blue-haired student's attention. "Black Star, I'm sure that Maka was planning to attend the meeting as scheduled. Maybe she won't be able to go today. Ms. Mjolnir asked her to do something very important for her." She winked towards Maka, earning a thankful nod from the blonde, but the Albarn knew for a fact that Tsubaki was also hysterically happy to be talking to her crush.

Black Star dipped his head, as if in sudden deep thought. He would occasionally strike a certain pose, rubbing his chin in intense focus… Maka sometimes wondered how his brain could function like that, since it seemed like he traded the vital organ for a sack of chocolate rocks when he was a toddler.

It would've been more believable.

"Yeah, that makes sense! Freedom of choice in our society is necessary! Brilliant input Tsubaki!" He smiled widely at the black-haired girl, and she flushed in response. His expression then turned into one that was more serious. "By the way, Tsubaki, may I say that if I was writing the fashion column for the paper, I would put _you_ on the front cover?"

Maka face-palmed, inwardly laughing. _We don't even have a fashion column…_

Regardless, Tsubaki's cheeks were, once again, flashed with fire. "I… t-thank you, Black Star. That's very sweet of you to say." She smiled kindly. "I really do appreciate that."

"I _am_ pretty good with my _talking_ skills. Wooing the beautiful ladies of Shibusen is just a small piece of the godly Black Star's daily regime!" He puffed out his chest proudly, and Maka could've sworn she saw a flicker of sparkling amusement and joy pass across her friend's features, and she wasn't surprised.

It amazed her that this goofball could make Tsubaki look so happy, but… he was doing it, and if that was all it took to make her giggle like that, she was fine with the idea of them maybe becoming a couple someday.

The rest of the lunch period consisted of Black Star shamelessly charming Tsubaki in whatever way he could, completely forgetting his purpose of being there in the first place. Enjoying the newfound sense of peace, Maka continued eating her terrible slimy food with a small smile.

* * *

 **3:44 P.M.**

* * *

Weekday afternoons usually called for steel-gray clouds rolling over the promise of a sun that would never shine. Speaking weather-wise, it never reached higher than fifty degrees on the beach, which explained one of many reasons why most residents of Echo Bluff donned extra layers or packed rain jackets wherever they went, just to be safe.

But today, it seemed even quieter than normal, and the cold breeze was refreshing and delicate. With her knees bunched up close to her chest and her camera set beside her, Maka was deliberately surprised with how lovely the ocean glistened today. The faintest rays of sunshine peered through the clouds, shattering the consistent gray barrier. Waves the color of glass rolled onto the shore, stopping just in front of her toes.

Ox informed her about wanting her to get some practice in with her photography skills, since they would need her camera for sure during the upcoming Midwinter Festival. Obliging for no other reason than to prove that she could blow Ox's mind out of the water, Maka agreed, but she was now so engulfed in the silence and peace that shrouded the beach at this time of day, that she didn't even want to think about the school newspaper or anything related to it.

 _Maybe I should go meet that boy Ms. Mjolnir wanted me to see…_ She grumbled, lying on her back and stretching her arms above her head. She stared up at the clouds, lost in her own thoughts. She turned her head to the side, bundled up comfortably on her own roll of blankets that she'd brought straight from school, and her books were scattered around her in a halo of pages and notes. She grimaced at the thought of classes, despite his constant desire to be at the top and excel in whatever way she could. Sometimes it was too much, and she couldn't stop thinking about the previous night. Her father came back so late, and for her that was inexcusable.

She squeaked, bolting up in shock and bristling head to toe from the odd sensation that suddenly tickled her neck. She whipped around, searching for anything, anyone—and her eyes rested on the same black cat she'd taken care of the night before. Sighing in relief and staring oddly at the feline, she wondered how it could have possibly found her again…

"You're a troublemaker," Maka murmured, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you have an owner to go back to? I can't keep you, you know." Great, now she was actually talking to it. She was glad no one else was on the beach, witnessing this. "You seem pretty healthy and generally well-fed…" The cat purred, brushing against her jean-clad leg and stretching its spine. Maka stroked its pelt, smiling briskly at the way the animal brushed its nose against her palm. "You're pretty cute though."

The cat then glanced away from her, as if beckoning something towards them. Maka frowned at the strange mannerism—most cats she encountered (which was considerably rare in Echo Bluff) were standoffish and had no interest in interacting with her. This one not only liked to be around her, but it had an almost _intelligent_ look in its sharp golden eyes, tinged only slightly with a rim of emerald around the irises.

Looking over its pelt, Maka still couldn't find a collar of any sort. She kept petting the feline, wondering if it was ever going to leave her side after she helped shelter it from the rainstorm. Her father would've immediately kicked the creature out of their house on first sight if he were the one to stumble across it. She was glad she found it first.

It mewled, purring loudly, and Maka followed its gaze, blinking as the fog on the beach started to dissipate, revealing the figure of another person. Her eyes narrowed, and she observed the cat as it bolted to its paws, sprinting across the wet sand to the stranger and, with surprising strength, leaped into the individual's arms.

Maka stood up, wiping down her clothes. She looked and noticed that the stranger was now right in front of her, and she'd never seen him before in her life.

He was definitely young, probably around her age. He boasted a shock of unruly, thick white hair, billowing in the salty breeze. A surprising pair of pulsing blood gem eyes were fixated on a naturally scowling, bored and strikingly handsome face. His jaw was set in a grim line, his clothes consisting of a leather jacket, an orange shirt and slightly ripped up dark green cargo shorts. His toes were buried too deep in the sand to know for sure, but Maka could tell he was barefoot.

The cat was snuggled in his arms, causing him to wince from the contact of the feline's whiskers brushing his eyelids.

"Hi," Maka said awkwardly, grabbing his attention. Once those eyes snapped up to meet hers, she found herself shiver under the weight. There was something about the cloud that hung over his irises—like a warning of sorts. "I'm Maka. Are you… from around here?"

He raised an eyebrow, and the cat purred in delight from him scratching the space between its ears.

At his wordless response, she pressed further: "… Well, can I know your name?"

"Hm." He set down the animal—which Maka now assumed belonged to him—and he glanced at her with his hands loosely hanging in his jacket pockets. "Soul." He sized her up briefly, his expression remaining the exact same. "No one really comes to the beach that often."

Maka blinked, amazed at this guy's... awkwardness. Or something like it.

 _Huh. Odd._

"I do. Usually after school I like to come here and watch the waves, but sometimes I'll be up in the café reading a book." She smiled knowingly. "Where are you from? I know I've never seen you at Shibusen."

"It's complicated," the boy— _Soul_ , she reminded herself quietly—muttered as he swept his gaze to the sea. "But no, I'm not from around here, if you're still wondering about that." He didn't look at her when he kept talking. "I like the ocean, though."

Maka frowned in curiosity. She tried to think of any possible way she could've seen him, any way she could've missed a resident of Echo Bluff without going totally insane. Pretty much anyone around her age or younger attended Shibusen High School… there wasn't any other option in her small coastal town.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Soul," Maka added, clasping her hands behind her back as she turned to the skies. "I think it might rain soon. Also," she continued, "is that your cat?"

He blinked, looking confused for a second until he realized that she was gesturing with a flick of her head towards the black cat purring around his ankles. "… I guess, yeah. Technically." He shrugged. "Her name is Blair."

Maka nodded. "Oh, I see." She watched as the boy lowered his body to a squat, resting his chin in his hands. She examined him further, questions racing in her mind like an opened cage of butterflies. "I made sure that she was okay the other night, if you were looking for her. That storm got really bad around one in the morning, so I fed her and kept her warm." She giggled. "I never thought of myself as a cat person, but it was nice having her company."

Soul absentmindedly reached out and casually pet Blair's head, seemingly lost in thought and disinterested in whatever Maka had to say. "Yeah."

Maka bit her lip. "So… what's your story, Soul?"

He glanced at her cautiously. "Why do you want to know?" His attitude shone like daggers through his tightened lips, and she instantly bristled at his harsh tone.

"… Well if you're going to be _that_ sensitive about it, then never mind." She huffed, resuming to her cross-legged position and snatching one of her books. She cracked it open, resuming to where she left off in _A Tale of Two Cities_.

Honestly, the nerve of some people. And she was just trying to be friendly!

They sat in silence for a solid fifteen minutes, with Maka looking up from her book and glancing over the white-haired teen with interest. She still didn't know where he came from, and for some reason it bothered her greatly. She'd never even heard of a person named "Soul" that lived in Echo Bluff, but he was there, with his odd white hair and equally chilling crimson eyes.

"Sorry," he whispered, breaking the ice.

Maka blinked. "Eh?"

"I said _sorry_ , weirdo," he growled out, lying back on the sand with his arms folded behind his head. "Shouldn't have snapped at you, I guess. Don't take it too personally. Just tired of being asked small talk questions all the time."

She nodded, suddenly feeling guilty. "I didn't mean to pry." She smiled as Blair crawled onto her lap, enjoying the attention. Maka giggled. "She's so friendly. I'm amazed that she's like this. Most cats I've seen are just… rude," she said, deciding to change the subject. "Well, if you don't like small talk, _Soul_ , then what _do_ you talk about when you get to know someone?"

He snorted. " _Getting to know me_ … is that what we're doing?"

Maka pursed her lips. "Well, we're talking, just the two of us, on the shore of Echo Bluff's beach. You told me your name, I told you yours. I just shared my opinion on cats." She grinned knowingly. "I would think that has something to do with getting to know someone."

"Whoever said I wanted to get to know you, Pigtails?"

She ignored the comment, sticking her nose high in the air. "You're still here, aren't you?" she retorted carefully, kind of enjoying the banter she was having with a near-stranger. It was rare to meet someone new in Echo Bluff.

"… Well maybe I have nothing _better_ to do." He sat up, groaning and scowling once more towards the indecisive cat that kept circling around the two of them. "I was just looking for Blair, mostly. I didn't think there were going to be others here." He sighed, rubbing his temples. "The town doesn't interest me that much, either."

Maka blinked, perplexed. "Then where do you live?"

He glared at her. "I'm not giving you that information." For the first time since she'd met him only ten minutes ago, the slightest smirk caught the corner of his mouth. "You could be some serial killer posing as a dorky innocent bookworm, ready to slice me up at night and sell my organs in the black market."

 _Jesus_. He had some imagination.

Maka burst into laughter, her cheeks noticeably. She glanced at the boy and smiled widely, catching him off-guard with how friendly and open she was acting towards him. "You're…" She paused, shrugging. "You seem alright, Soul."

He turned away from her, spitting into the sand. "Sure."

"I go to Shibusen, in case you were curious," Maka began.

"'Kay."

She decided to just roll with whatever came to mind.

"I work for the school newspaper. I was originally told to come out here to take pictures of the ocean for practicing. One of the town festivals is coming up and our 'team leader', so to speak, wants some convincing shots for the upcoming issue." She knew that he wasn't listening, but still, it felt good to talk to someone other than Tsubaki for a change. "I have the weirdest writing team imaginable. One of them can't convincingly speak his way past the alphabet, our captain is a control freak, and the Thompson sisters are always gone, hanging out with the student body president." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "They're good people though. This is a good town."

She turned to look at him, surprised to see that his eyes were boring directly into the back of her head when she was talking. She whipped back around, blushing furiously at the intensity of such a glare.

Was he seriously that pissed off at her rambling? She didn't even do anything wrong. She was starting to wonder if it was worth it, lounging around on the beach with a guy that she didn't know anything about.

"My turn to talk, Pigtails."

Maka watched as he sat up, turning his attention away from her and towards the ocean. He seemed to get lost in the endless, soundless churning of the waves, the breeze rushing through his hair and causing the white currents to ripple. He was so peaceful, so relaxed, and it was a stark contrast to what he was a few minutes ago.

"I don't know much about this place," he started, clearly distracted. "But…" He smirked, and as he turned to face her again she gasped at the appearance of his teeth; they were viciously sharp, as if he carved his molars with a knife. "I figure that you're pretty fucking stupid to talk to a stranger you hardly know, on a beach where no one could theoretically hear you scream." He shrugged, breaking the terrifying image. "But, eh, not all of us can be geniuses."

Maka twitched. This guy… was something else, and she was losing her grip on her temper. "Now, listen—"

"If you're going to lecture me, I'm pretty sure I've been immune to that treatment since I was, I don't know, _five._ " He rolled his eyes. "I know your type. You think you can stick out above the crowd and be the _misunderstood one_ that eventually outshines everyone else. You like the fucking attention, despite what you probably believe yourself." He scoffed bitterly. "You probably grew up with a shit ton of money and people who respect you and all that shitty garbage. Your act isn't going to fool me." He glared at her icily. "So do me a favor and leave me the fuck alone."

Maka had no idea how to respond to those words. They were so cruel, so irrevocably harsh, that they jarred her to the very core. Not a single word he spoke was remotely true, and it sickened her that his judgment could be dealt so quickly and without reason. She clenched her fists, willing the tears back and refusing to let them shed in front of this jerk.

She angrily shoved her book into her bag, standing up and kicking the blankets she brought with her towards the sea. She wanted to scream, she was so frustrated. She whipped around, practically heaving with her bottled rage, directed towards this one insipid idiot that dared to insult her—a girl he hardly knew.

It was people like him that made her hate the entirety of the male species.

Before she could stop herself, she swung back her book bag—listening to the satisfying rustle of at least six pounds of pages and heavy binding—and thwacked the weight of it harshly against the bastard's face.

He toppled over, shocked and tenderly touching his rapidly reddening cheek. He looked up at her, and it instantly satisfied Maka to see the surprise on his face. She pointed at him accusingly, desperately fighting back the heated blush of anger rising in her cheeks and flaring up her nostrils. "You're an _idiot_. You know _nothing_ about me. And you're telling _me_ to _leave you alone_? At least I don't lounge around like a bastard insulting people for no good reason!"

She shook her head furiously, kicking heavy sand and growling as he blocked the pathetic attack with his risen arm. She was so angry that she didn't care if she blinded him temporarily with dusty particles. With the final amount of energy she could muster, she bellowed: "And feed your _damn cat_ so she stops coming to my house!"

Without another word, she spun around on her heels, and stomped back in the direction of her house. She couldn't believe this, but even an empty house with unwashed kitchen wares and a television with two channels on it looked more inviting than spending time _here_.

She hoped she wouldn't cross his path again…

But fate had other plans.

* * *

 **Hello hello! Thanks for reading the first chapter to** _ **Breath of the Sea**_ **! I originally titled this as** _ **Polished Pebbles**_ **on my profile for you guys to check out the summary before I published it. So in love with the setting for this story. I don't know how often I will update this, but I'm planning to write a few more chapters until I start putting them up.**

 **Thanks everyone and please drop a review if you'd be so kind. :)**

 **Also, I'm thinking of taking down** _ **Only Mine**_ **for some plot revision… I feel like it has a lot more potential if a I tweak a few things, since it seems just like any other "Soul-and-Maka-in-denial-about-each-other" fic… and that's not what I want it to be. Let me know what you all think!**

 **Until next time! And check out the poll on my profile if you're interested in what should be up (in a LONG TIME) after some of these Soul Eater projects are completed. :)**

 **\- Sulfur Dusk**


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